Little Sparrow
by Moe-the-Insomniac
Summary: Rating for safety. Elizabeth tragically dies on the island when stranded. Jack picks up a relative in the Virgin Islands after her death, unaware of what his little sister could cause for Will Turner.
1. A Bottle of Rum

Title- The Other Sparrow  
  
Author- Moe  
  
Summary- Elizabeth tragically dies when stranded on the island. Jack picks up a relative in the Virgin Islands, unaware of what his little sister would cause for Will Turner.  
  
Disclaimer- I only own Melanie Sparrow, that's it. You should have seen me in March and what I thought Pirates of the Caribbean was going to be about, and I was really off. So there's no way I can take credit for any of that  
  
Authors Note- This takes place after the movie. But some things are a bit different. During the huge battle in the end of the movie did happen, but Jack wasn't there, he was still on the island(so lets say Will killed Barbossa). The good guys still won the battle, recaptured the Black Pearl, and then went to find Jack. He was then Capitan.  
  
Another Authors Note- The chapter is half present time and the rest is a flashback.  
  
Chapter One- Bottle of Rum  
  
Jack pressed his weight into the helm of the Black Pearl, swaying his body from side to side. Direction didn't matter, there was no plan on where they were going, the crew still recovering from very recent events. One blacksmith in particular.  
  
" Anamaria, can you take over for a few minutes?" he quietly asked. It was only a little past dawn, a majority of those aboard were still asleep. Never the less, she yawned and nodded.  
  
He stepped down from the platform and strolled across the deck, stepping over sleeping and snoring bodies until he reached the ship's bow. There he was, slumped against the wood, exhausted but fighting to stay awake.  
  
" Hey Will" Jack sat down opposite of him, " you should really get some sleep".  
  
" I'm not telling" Will obviously lied.  
  
Jack fiddled with a piece of his hair, " I want you to know, I-I tried everything to save her, but I couldn't even see her. Even after the storm, it was impossible".  
  
" It's alright" he said, " I know you did, and I can't thank you enough".  
  
" Don't worry about it. I really wish I could say something, anything" the situation they were in along with the feeling in the pit of his stomach were very foreign to him.  
  
Will sighed, " I wish there was something I could do".  
  
Jack reached behind him, retrieving the small liquor canteen that belonged to Gibbs from the waistband of his pants and handed it to him, " it'll help for a few hours....she loved you Will, if that's any ease, she really did".  
  
" Thanks Jack".  
  
" Drink that" he stood up, " and get some sleep" being around Will wouldn't do good. Jack didn't know what to say and he had a better chance of making things worse before he made them better. Will wanted to be alone, and he had to respect that.  
  
It had been two nights since Elizabeth Swann died. Capitan Barbossa had stranded both her and Jack on a lonely island, his second visit. He wasn't sure if they could get off the island as easy as they got on, but he was going to try.  
  
The two split up at dusk to search and gather firewood that would last through the night, both were a bit tipsy from the excessive amount of rum. Jack had traveled towards the center of the island, and could no longer see the campfire once catching eye of a strike of lightening and hearing the echo from crashing thunder. Immediately, he began to run back.  
  
But Elizabeth wasn't in sight, and the tropical storm was rapidly approaching . Surely, she had to have heard the crashing thunder, a man who was deaf could have.  
  
Jack ran along the shoreline, calling her name. Every five feet or so, he'd have to move away from the extending tide. Not far from the sire, he spotted her, recognizing the dress, and she was on the rocks. As he came closer, he saw her stumbling, trying to keep her bare feet sturdy on the rough surface. Whenever a wave were to hit, the tide would splash at her waist, making her balance more uneven then it already was.  
  
" Elizabeth, get back here!" Jack remained with his feet in the sand, leaning over the rocks to try and reach her ankle or any body part to pull her back.  
  
" No!" she snapped, lifting her foot out of his reach, " no, I have to get the medallion!".  
  
' What on Earth?' he thought, " Barbossa has the medallion!" the raging storm made yelling necessary, " come on, there's a storm coming!".  
  
But she still refused. Curing aloud, Jack climbed onto the rock behind her, rum finally taking its toll. His arm was merely an inch from the back of her dress, when an unexpected tide landed over a large rock, the one she was standing on. He heard her scream, but the water hid her from him. Once the wave pulled back, she was gone.  
  
Jack continued inching around the rocks, calling, no, screaming her name. Over and over, until his throat was raw and soar. She wasn't there, or if she was, he'd have a better chance swimming to the Black Pearl than he did finding her. The only thing he could do was wait until the storm would subside. He remained in the same place until morning, when the ocean was dead calm.  
  
He must have swam in a three mile radius twice around the island. Whether it was lagoons, beaches, or the ocean floor. Nothing, no one. The rough waters must have dragged her out to sea once she had fallen in. There was no possibility that Elizabeth was still alive.  
  
The mystery of the medallion Elizabeth claimed she was looking for haunted Jack's mind until he was rescued. Anamaria, Gibbs, and Will, along with the rest of the ' able bodied crew' appeared along the horizon nearly twelve hours after he ended the search, aboard the Black Pearl of all places.  
  
They all knew Elizabeth had been stranded with him, they watched her swim to the island with Jack. They all knew what must of happened, though not down to every precise detail. He will never forget the look on Will's face. 


	2. Saint Thomas

Authors Note- Thank you for the reviews! Sorry if it was a bit confusing in the last chapter.  
  
Chapter Two- Saint Thomas  
  
" Jack, hey, Jack". He blinked several times to get out of the terrifying flashback to see Anamaria staring at him, " you alright?".  
  
He nodded, " yep" she stepped aside to allow him to return to the helm and began walking away. She passed Will, giving him a sympathetic squeeze on his shoulder.  
  
" What can I do to help?" Will asked. The rest of the crew was beginning to wake and go about their duties, and he still had dark marks under his eyes. And unlike Jack's, it wasn't from any coal.  
  
" Go into the cabin, and get some sleep" and Jack was prepared to physically put him there, if the stern order didn't work.  
  
Will shook his head, " no, I can't, I'm afraid that as soon as I clothes my eyes, something's going to happen".  
  
Jack firmly held the helm in place, " I can assure you nothing bad will happen...as long as Anamaria is on board".  
  
Will inhaled deeply, giving in, he was too exhausted, " I suppose if you wake me if you need me" he muttered, " alright, I'll go, maybe sleep for a few minutes".  
  
" Hours" Jack corrected for him.  
  
Gibbs approached Jack after Will left, " poor guy, he's falling apart".  
  
" I'm worried about him" Jack sighed, " this hit him harder than the truth about Bootstrap, and that was his father. Just give him time, and distract him".  
  
" There's another seagull tangled at the top of the mast, he can get it, that's a distraction".  
  
Jack snarled, " wake him up and you'll be water skiing behind the ship without the wood, savvy?".  
  
Gibbs leaned against the wooden railing, " no worries, we should port at that there land, I could hold my breath until then, not a problem".  
  
" What land?".  
  
" Straight ahead".  
  
Jack placed his feet on the helm to elevate himself off the floor for a better view over the bow. Once he did, the helm spun around and sent him crashing to the floor. Gibbs managed to stop laughing by the time he got back up, " what is that?" but Gibbs shrugged.  
  
" Saint Thomas" Anamaria answered, once again joining them, " one of the Virgin Islands" she gave a weary eye to Jack.  
  
" Oh shit" he cussed under his breath.  
  
" What?" Gibbs asked with suspicion.  
  
Anamaria smirked, " Jack knows someone in Saint Thomas".  
  
" No he doesn't" Jack commented.  
  
" Who is she?" Gibbs was catching onto the girls vibe.  
  
Jack slanted his eyebrows, " why you assuming it's a girl?" he then smacked his forehead.  
  
" So there is someone".  
  
" Jacks little sister" she cooed.  
  
Gibbs snorted, " there's another one in your blood line? A girl? Now that is what one would call interesting".  
  
Jack rolled his eyes, " alright, come on, get all the laughs out" his encouragement caused them to automatically stop, " oh now that's just mean".  
  
" I can't imagine you having a younger sister" Gibbs said, " I can't even picture you having parents".  
  
" I didn't just fall out of the sky one day" he groaned and rested his forehead on the helm.  
  
Anamaria stepped behind him, placing her head on his back, " it's a sensitive subject".  
  
" I didn't say that" Jack mumbled.  
  
She took a step towards Gibbs, whispering, " his parents disowned him long time ago, thought he was a bad influence on the girl".  
  
" Well Jack, if they could only see you now" Gibbs said. Jack lifted his head with a dark, threatening expression, " I didn't mean it like that".  
  
" It's a compliment" Anamaria added, " look at the things you've done. You risked being hung to help Will, who you barely knew at the time, and Elizabeth...".  
  
" Don't even start to get into that" Jack interrupted, " must we port in Saint Thomas?".  
  
Gibbs shrugged, " we could manage without. Course we may have to resort to eating a crew member".  
  
" What about the damn parrot?".  
  
" Jack, two hours tops, and don't forget, it's a really bog island" Anamaria debated, " you can even stay on the ship, this never bothered you in the past".  
  
Jack winked at her, " only because we were never this close before, I always managed to steer clear of here, rum or no rum" though he couldn't manage to figure out how they were merely miles away at that moment. " But, there's a first time for many things" he spun the helm all the way around, " Saint Thomas ahoy".  
  
Another Authors Note- I wrote this really late, so please cut me some slack. I'll make up for it in Chapter Three. 


	3. Melanie Sparrow

Little Sparrow  
  
Authors Note- Once again, thank you for the reviews  
  
Chapter Three- Melanie Sparrow  
  
Gibbs threw the bow line off the ship to Jack who was standing on the dock, and securely wrapped it around the wooden post. He looked over to see Anamaria, who had just finished tying the stern line.  
  
" It's a merchant dock" she said, " we've got an our. Gibbs and I could go and get the stuff we need".  
  
Jack shrugged, " we're already off the ship, and times running low" he faced the ship, " Gibbs, keep an eye out!" he yelled, " if Will wakes up before we get back, hit him over the head!".  
  
" Aye!" Gibbs responded without being seen.  
  
Anamaria groaned, " Jack, just get back on board".  
  
" I only made you Co-Capitan to make the decisions when I wasn't in the proper mental stage to make them myself, not to tell me what to do".  
  
She rolled her eyes, " the correct term is first mate, and I'm only trying to do what's right for you, it's your home".  
  
Jack began skipping up the dock smiling, " come along Anamaria!".  
  
She threw her arms up in frustration, " fine, but don't say I didn't try".  
  
He stopped his skipping when she caught up to him on land. It was just as expected, crowds of merchants and townspeople walking about carts and stands, shopping in a hurry. " No worries love, what's first thing we need?".  
  
" Fruit".  
  
" Damn the fruit!" he yelled, spooking two children that were walking past him, " we don't need fruit!".  
  
Anamaria smacked his arm, " watch your mouth, if it were up to you it'd all be rum and dead pigs. There, I see a fruit stand".  
  
" Not true!" he went after her, " the pigs could be alive, not a problem. And I like apples!".  
  
She stopped shy of the stand with a title that was hard to miss, " I've got some shillings, could probably trade them for some meat. You get your apples, and don't go wandering off".  
  
Jack muttered, " you make one mistake" and approached the stand. No one seemed to mind him being a pirate, so there would be no need to make a dodging run back too the ship. He stood in front of the counter of the covered stand when there was enough space. " What can I get you sir?".  
  
" Two dozen apples" he hadn't yet looked at the girl who owned the Caribbean accent, and concentrated on finding the shillings in his pocket. When he finally did, he dropped the handful of coins along with his jaw, " Melanie" he gasped.  
  
She had dropped the sack of apples to the ground, her blue eyes as wide as her first, " Jack".  
  
" Son of a..Anamaria was right again" he muttered.  
  
Melanie managed to appear calmer, tucking her dark blonde hair behind her ear, " I never thought I'd ever see you again".  
  
" Same here" the only two words that came out with any sense.  
  
Stunned, she retrieved the sack from the ground, brushing off the sand, " sorry about that, uh, that'll be- one shilling".  
  
With one hand, he handed her the coin and took the sack with the other, " are you doing alright?" he wasn't sure what he meant by that.  
  
She managed a weak grin, knowing what he meant, " I'm fine, what about you? Still a pirate?".  
  
" I wasn't one last time you saw me, but yes".  
  
Melanie pocketed the coin, " last time I saw you, things were different. You still have that scar".  
  
" Lets not get into that".  
  
" How long are you here for?".  
  
" A few hours".  
  
She shrugged, " there's people behind you Jack, you should move".  
  
He nodded, " you're right. Thanks Mel.anie, it was nice seeing you again, take care".  
  
" You too" she said quietly.  
  
Jack pushed through the crowd, further and further away from his little sister, wandering about until he saw Anamaria. " Get your apples?" she asked, her own sack swung over her shoulder, she studied his face, " what happened?" he shrugged. Anamaria stood on tiptoe and glanced towards the fruit stand, " oh, is that..?".  
  
" Melanie? Yes, it's Melanie. The girl right there, is my sister Melanie".  
  
Anamaria blinked, " I was going to say your old lass from Tourtoga, but that's a bit more interesting".  
  
Jack groaned, " yeah sure, it is, can we go now?".  
  
" We're not done yet" she looked towards the stand again, " that must have been a short conversation".  
  
He shrugged, " it's an odd sibling relationship".  
  
She glared at him, " usually when you say ' odd' it means you're hiding something".  
  
" It's just.a vibe she was giving off, like something wasn't right with her".  
  
" She's a Sparrow, isn't that explanation enough?".  
  
Jack snarled at her, " you'd think it would be, but she was rather normal as a kid. I don't know, maybe I'm just imagining things..again".  
  
Anamaria's nose twitched, " well, Jack's, she's your sister, your little sister. How old is she anyways?".  
  
He kept staring towards the stand, even though he couldn't see Melanie, " seventeen" he paused for a moment, " I can't understand why she's working in a place like that, last I saw, my parents had invested in importing goods, I can't imagine why she'd ever need to work a day in her life".  
  
" Maybe she's taking the same path you did" and with that comment, Anamaria was expecting a snap in return, or an agreement. Something along the lines as ' I never worked at a fruit stand!'.  
  
But he was still concentrating on his own thoughts, rare occasion that would be, " something's really not right here, I have a feeling my parents aren't in the picture" he looked at Anamaria, " I think I'll fall her home tonight, just to make sure everything is alright".  
  
She shook her head, " we can't stay, we have to be out in two hours, less than that now".  
  
Jack's mouth curled, " take one of the row boats off the deck, hide it under the dock here, there should be enough room. Sail out of the harbor, anchor there, and wait for me".  
  
" You came up with that rather fast".  
  
He shrugged, " at least I came up with something, can you do that? Good" Jack turned and began his way through the crowd. Anamaria called after him, ready to object, and she knew he heard her. But all she got in return was, " take care of Will, I'll be back by midnight". And she could no longer see him. 


	4. Brother to the Rescue

Little Sparrow  
  
Authors Note- I wasn't trying to make Jack look gay by him skipping. It just seemed like something he'd do to avoid the conversation about his sister.  
  
Chapter Four- Brother to the Rescue  
  
Jack remained seated on a cluster of rocks over looking the harbor, and the town. He watched the Black Pearl sail out, but remain on the other side of the peninsula, always being able to see the top of the mast.  
  
Once he knew his ship and crew were staying, Jack stayed focused on the fruit stand, and did not once look away, he could see her, but she couldn't see him. As the day went on, he continued watching his sister, exchanging fruit and money to dozens. Not once did she smile, not once did she look even some what happy. That was the person he always knew her as, then again, that was such a long time ago.  
  
The sun was seeping past the horizon, hardly enough sunlight to see what was currently going on. But he wasn't very far in the first place, Jack was able to see a dark figure emerging from the stand long after sunset.  
  
Using only the broad moonlight for a guide, Jack followed Melanie throughout the deserted streets. She continued in a straight line until finally turning into a narrow alley between two buildings. Jack stayed hidden on the street as she walked downward, however neither that alley nor the street they had been on were at all familiar to him. Centered in the small space, Melanie sat down against the side wall of the building. She sighed, reaching into her pocket and retrieved a small branch of grapes. Only eating one, she put the m back and curled her legs against her chest as though resting.  
  
" Melanie" the sound of her name made her jump.  
  
She squinted in the direction he was standing in, revealing himself in the moonlight, " Jack?" she scrambled to her feet, " what on Earth are you doing here? I thought you had left".  
  
Jack began walking towards her, " I stayed, and you're the one who should be answering that question".  
  
Melanie bit her bottom lip, looking over her shoulder, where there was an old, ratty, wool blanket puddle on the ground, " uh, I come here once in awhile, just to think".  
  
" Melanie, don't even try lying, it's one of the pirate advantages, I can tell when someone is lying, especially someone I know rather well. I just want to know, where are mom and dad?".  
  
She took a step back, " why? They don't want to see you".  
  
" As I don't want to see them, I just want to make sure everything is alright with you".  
  
" I'm fine" she took a deep breath, " get out of here Jack, a pirate can only be spotted once before suspicion is thought of".  
  
Jack shrugged, " I suppose you're right. Very well Melanie, maybe I'll stop by in a few weeks". He knew her very well, perhaps too well. If Melanie Sparrow was ever under the impression that she had won an argument, she'd cave in.  
  
And he was right. As Jack began to casually stroll down the mysterious street, Melanie went after him. " Wait, Jack!" he turned on his heel to face her distraught expression, " mom and dad, they're.- they're..they're dead".  
  
He stumbled backwards, but stopped himself with his left foot. Those were defiantly not the words he was expecting, " w-what?".  
  
" They died, about two years ago. It was horrible" he walked slowly back to her as she continued rambling, " the house was robbed, and they were killed. Everyone thought it was pirates, that's why I don't want you here".  
  
Jack approached her, standing inches away, " why didn't you tell me?".  
  
" And how was I to do that?" she cried, " that's why I work at a stand, that's why I sleep in an ally, and that's why I'm so miserable all the time".  
  
He held her sister in an embrace, " I never thought I'd be so thrilled to come back here, I should have come sooner" he softly told her.  
  
" Everything in dads will, it was left to you" she continued, avoiding his comment, " because you're the oldest. And everyone thought you were dead, or a pirates, and because of that belief, I wasn't able to get anything".  
  
He gently stroked her back, with her buried cries on his shoulder, " it's alright, you've still got me, I'm still family".  
  
" Oh sure, that's reliable" Melanie broke away from him, " my brother, the pirate. What are you going to do? Rob a bank for be?".  
  
If ever she had that sarcasm with him in the past, he'd ignore her or shove her into a mud pit. But now he remembered that his sister inherited half her personality from his mother, " no, I'm going to take you with me".  
  
Melanie spun around with an ice cold glare, " what's that suppose to mean?".  
  
Jack's eyebrows narrowed, " you know what, I'm not sure. But I can't leave you here alone".  
  
" Obviously I can manage".  
  
" And what happens when the grapes run out?" she snarled at him, " come with me, on the Black Pearl, it's really a lot of fun I can assure you. You're always guaranteed to a full stomach and a good night sleep".  
  
She slowly looked up at him, " the Black Pearl" she whispered, shock slightly pausing her, " on a ship with pirates" she returned to her stern tone, " are you guaranteed to not wake in the ocean?".  
  
" Well, I'm not, but you are" she then turned away, " Melanie, I'm not leaving you here, but I am leaving" Jack's thoughts briefly went to a certain crew member aboard the Pearl, " at least you won't be alone, and you'll be safe".  
  
" If I go" she quietly said, " would you bring me back if I asked?".  
  
" Of course".  
  
Melanie slowly stepped in a circle, hugging her own arms. Her eyes were deep and dark as she bit her bottom lip, " alright, I'll come". 


	5. Women on Board

Little Sparrow  
  
Authors Note- Thank you for the reviews!  
  
Chapter Five- Women on Board  
  
The rowboat was found right where Anamaria promised she'd leave it. Melanie sat in the front, helping her brother row, and always had her eyes on the Black Pearl. When close enough, Jack turned the rowboat parallel to the ship and hooked a dangling rope to a steel end on either end. He banged his fist firmly against the side of the ship and the small boat began lifting out of the water, becoming airborne.  
  
It came to a halt at the top of the ropes, a foot or so overlooking the ships deck. Melanie placed both her legs over the side of the rowboat, waiting for Jack's signal to jump. Before she was able to crash land on the deck, a pair of hands caught her arms.  
  
" Welcome aboard the Black Pearl Miss Sparrow" a voice said as she was pulled to her feet, facing a rugged but very kind looking man, " I am Joshamee Gibbs".  
  
She weakly smiled, " thank you, and pleased to meet you".  
  
Jack landed behind her as she caught eye of Anamaira, " Ana" her smile grew as she hugged the crew, not hearing what Jack was saying to Gibbs.  
  
" And finally I'm not the only woman on board".  
  
" More bad luck" Jack muttered, " but don't worry, I don't even know half the crew, just ignore them, that's the key. Right Ana".  
  
" What'd you say?".  
  
" Exactly".  
  
Melanie began strolling along the deck with Anamaria, explaining what had happened years ago and minutes ago. " He's got a good heart" Anamaria said, " you're the only person he cares about".  
  
" I wouldn't say that".  
  
" You're his sister, and he'd go to the ends of the world to make sure you were safe".  
  
Melanie glared at her, " doesn't he go there anyways?".  
  
Anamaria shrugged, " well, yes, but for you it wouldn't be in some odd, random course. And he would have planned to go there".  
  
From the distance, they could hear the anchor being lifted and the ship swaying beneath them. Lightning flashed across the night sky. Jack approached the girls. " Storms coming, waves are already picking up. Grab onto something. Mel, there should be a shawl for you in the small cabin just over there".  
  
She was shocked to have been called ' Mel', her infamous nickname that hadn't been heard in an eternity. Walking in the direction that Jack had pointed out, she entered the small cabin that was dimly lit by fading streaks of moonlight of the windows. It was beyond impossible to find anything. The ship creaked around her, and suddenly healed against her. Melanie's legs collapsed and she slid across the floor, colliding with the wall on the other side. Wincing in pain, she slowly gathered to her feet, only for the healing to reverse sides.  
  
This time she managed to grab onto something before sliding too far. A wooden board, possibly a bed frame. Her hand reached up and groped a handful of bed sheets, so it defiantly was. Melanie used all her strength to pull all her weight up onto the mattress, but someone was already there  
  
She heard him let out a small yelp, feeling that her knees did come in contact with a not so decent area. " Oh god I'm so sorry" she immediately sat up, " please forgive me".  
  
" It's alright" the deep accent responded, " Anamaria?".  
  
" Not quiet, are you alright?".  
  
She couldn't see him, but knew he was sitting very close to her, " yes, I'm fine. Do you happen to know what time it is?".  
  
" I think its just after eleven, there's a storm coming".  
  
The mattress shifted as he got up, " I should get out there, are you coming?" the stranger asked.  
  
" Yes" he felt his hand find hers and helped her to her feet, " thank you". The two stumbled towards the door and made it into the moonlight.  
  
The first time they saw one another, (A/N- Come on, we all know what Will looks like). " I'm Will Turner".  
  
" Melanie Sparrow" still staring at him, she found herself almost breathless.  
  
He cocked an eyebrow, the exhaustion from his face immediately disappearing, " Sparrow? Are you..?".  
  
" I'm his sister" she grinned, " odd saying that one again".  
  
Will made it unintentionally obvious that he was surprised, " oh, I didn't know he had a sister".  
  
" Not many people do" the deck ran through turbulence, tossing Melanie into this arms, " thanks.again".  
  
He placed her back into a standing position, " we should find Jack, I-I mean your brother".  
  
They stumbled and tripped to the helm platform just as the thick downpour began to fall upon them. Jack and Gibbs were screaming back and forth through the loud thunder.  
  
" I thought I told you to stay asleep!" Jack yelled at Will.  
  
He looked over at Melanie, " something else came up".  
  
" Or down" she said, but no one heard.  
  
A gust of wind ripped across the Pearl, sending Melanie crashing into the stern of the ship. Will attempted to go to her aid, but had no control over his feet. A giant wave from the raging sea below collapsed atop the platform, and like magic, Melanie was gone. 


End file.
